Raleigh Cadent FT1 trip reports?
 

Hello folks,

Went to LBS today and was digging on a Raleigh Cadent FT1 to replace my car as a means of transport for my 11 mile round trip, mildly hilly daily commute. Took it for a spin and found it to be pretty nice. I haven't ridden a bicycle in years, and I've never owned an especially nice bike; my experience is limited to what I remember from the bargain retail wheels I had as a kid.

I've googled this bike and searched the forums here. The only things that come up on google are spurious 5 or 1 star reviews of this bike, some complaining of 'fork noise'(?) or unreliable derailleurs (Shimano Deore). The good reviews seem to read suspiciously similarly; People who like this bike tend to describe it as "buttery smooth," with which I might agree, if I were some kind of dairy-poet.

Link to info on bike in question:
http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/B...+FT1&Type=bike

If you please, I would like to know:
Do you have any feelings for or against the Raleigh Cadent FT1 or Deore derailleurs on a commute bike?

Thanks!

Deore is a mid-level Shimano mountain bike group, and is of good quality. I have a Deore derailler on my bike, and I have no problems with it. The thing is, a derailler only works as well as the time spent adjusting it to work correctly. If it shifted well on your test ride, then the bike shop did its job.

The Cadent will make a perfectly good commuter bike.

Thanks for the reply, envane! LBS shift-and-brake-checked it before they let me ride, which I thought was pretty cool. I wasn't absolutely sure what to make of mountain bike derailleurs and brakes on a bike with small tires and all.

Buying this thing tomorrow, I think.
Thanks again. :)

Edit: By the way, thanks for accommodating a newb who probably posted this in the wrong forum.

FYI, the reason you'd put a mountain derailler on a non-racer road bike is because road deraillers are designed to work with a narrow gear range (racers don't need wimpy low gears) while mountain bikes need a wide range of gears.

I have a Deore RD on my Bianchi Tangent it shifts like butter with my bar end shifters. That should be very reliable for you